This is an illustration of the plot from Golubinaya kniga (Russian religious
verses) of Yegoriy, Princess and the Dragon. Heartless tsar decides to
sacrifice his daughter to the dragon as she converted to Christianity. She is
saved by Yegoriy the Brave sent by God. In exchange for life and peace of the
kingdom princess Oleksafiya demands the father to take the Christian faith and
to build three churches: in the name of the Mother of God, the Holy Trinity and
the Yegoriy the Brave (St. George). Roerich has depicted the most dramatic
moment: in the sinister twilight the dragon entwines the princess, but the
heavenly messenger had already raised his sword.
“The meaning of the painting is simple: the hero defeats the dragon of passion, long since imprinted in the eighth sign of the zodiac - Scorpio (actually a snake or dragon) and releases the path to marriage, to the merging of his Manas with the higher pole of Feminine Principle, Atma-Buddhi. He is forever connected to the Eternal Wisdom, to Sophia of the Gnostics and becomes the owner of the highest occult wisdom - the Crown of Wisdom of the Cosmic Hierarchy. There is no evil, there is only imperfection. Heroes of spirit who wish to become knights of regal princess should win the imperfection of the fourth principle – the terrible power of the underground fire of our planet to get the hand of the princess, the daughter of the Mother of the Universe, to transmute the passion, the highest pole of which is the eternal Wisdom. Transmutation imperfections "victory over evil," is rewarded by marriage with the Princess, the Dakini of Wisdom, and the hero becomes the rider controlling the horse, his fourth animal principle. Then the forces of Heaven and Earth serve him and powerfully armed by them, he is sent to exploit by the Head of female Principle or by Her assistant. Now he is a hero and he has something to stand up for the honor of his lady in the fight with the eternal evil of imperfection. Truly, the underground fire and the fire of space serve him. He becomes the Golden (or fire) Dragon of Wisdom." (N.Uranov)
“The meaning of the painting is simple: the hero defeats the dragon of passion, long since imprinted in the eighth sign of the zodiac - Scorpio (actually a snake or dragon) and releases the path to marriage, to the merging of his Manas with the higher pole of Feminine Principle, Atma-Buddhi. He is forever connected to the Eternal Wisdom, to Sophia of the Gnostics and becomes the owner of the highest occult wisdom - the Crown of Wisdom of the Cosmic Hierarchy. There is no evil, there is only imperfection. Heroes of spirit who wish to become knights of regal princess should win the imperfection of the fourth principle – the terrible power of the underground fire of our planet to get the hand of the princess, the daughter of the Mother of the Universe, to transmute the passion, the highest pole of which is the eternal Wisdom. Transmutation imperfections "victory over evil," is rewarded by marriage with the Princess, the Dakini of Wisdom, and the hero becomes the rider controlling the horse, his fourth animal principle. Then the forces of Heaven and Earth serve him and powerfully armed by them, he is sent to exploit by the Head of female Principle or by Her assistant. Now he is a hero and he has something to stand up for the honor of his lady in the fight with the eternal evil of imperfection. Truly, the underground fire and the fire of space serve him. He becomes the Golden (or fire) Dragon of Wisdom." (N.Uranov)